Van Gogh: I'm not a crazy genius
Vincent William van Gogh, a poor and tortured artist, ended his life at the age of 37 on July 29, 1890.
Maybe you've never gotten to know him, read his words, and listen to his heart. But this lonely artist has let everyone see a beautiful and enthusiastic world.
- Early years -
Van Gogh was born in a small town in the Netherlands. In fact, Van Gogh was withdrawn from an early age. But he would communicate some ideas with his younger brother Theo. When his family did not agree to his painting, only his younger brother, Theo, supported him behind his back. The record of letters between the two brothers has also become an important document of Van Gogh's life and mental journey.
The earliest correspondence of the Van Gogh brothers began in 1872, when Van Gogh worked as a clerk in an art company in The Hague while his younger brother Theo was still in school. Theo had visited Van Gogh in The Hague, and the brothers' first surviving epistle revealed a slightly implicit intimacy with each other:
“
Dear Theo: I missed you for the first few days after you left. I didn't see you when I got home in the afternoon, and my heart was empty. We had a great time together for a few days. We took a few walks together and saw one or two sights in the drizzle.
”
They often walk together and have intimate conversations. In his letter, Van Gogh revealed his love of art to Theo:
You must insist on walking, but also maintain a love of nature, because then you can understand art more deeply and accurately. The painter is able to understand and love nature and teaches us to see her... I'm all right here. I have a cozy little home... I have nature, art, and poetry in my life, isn't that enough? ... Well brother, I sincerely bless you, please write to me quickly.
In fact, Van Gogh almost became a priest. But he eventually decided to paint anyway, during which time his younger brother Theo gave him great material and spiritual help. With Theo's advice and help, Van Gogh visited many painters and received many guidance. And he often communicates with his brother:
Dear Theo, your letter has been of great help to me. I'm still studying Bageld's Painting Tutorial... Thanks to this training, my skills have become more and more dexterous and mature. As you can see, I'm working like crazy, but I haven't achieved much satisfactory results yet. But I hope that my sweat will eventually water the flowers of success.
- In The Hague -
Van Gogh's family was very opposed to his painting, which also led to a very strained relationship between them. Van Gogh's time in The Hague was the embryonic stage of his artistic career, where he had a small studio. Theo was very supportive of Van Gogh's stay in The Hague, but he also criticized Van Gogh's indifference to his family. Van Gogh has always been adamant about the need to maintain minimal contact with parents:
Dear Theo... For the sake of superficial reconciliation, I will write to my father again, tell him that I rented a studio, and wish him a happy new year, and I will say that I hope we will not have any more quarrels in the new year... But I'm not going to make any more efforts to improve our relationship... If my last quarrel with my father was just a case, it would be a different story. But we've had a lot of arguments before... As long as my parents' attitudes don't change, I won't admit it... If they could behave more humanely, thoughtfully, and honestly, I would happily admit my mistakes to them.
Despite his displeasure with Theo's criticism, Van Gogh warmly thanked Theo for his support. He also hired a model to hone his skills in drawing characters.
In The Hague, Van Gogh met and became intimate with Krasina (Sean) Hornick. Sean was a prostitute, and this plunged him into deeper family conflicts. But he was still willing to express his heart to his brother, and he had to continue to ask his brother Theo for help:
Theo, I don't think what I did was to shame my family – I hope my family can make a compromise with me or we will continue to antagonize, and I have to announce that I will not give up on this woman... I've accepted her past, and she's embraced my past... Not everyone is the wife of a painter, and she is willing to... So all I ask: don't interfere with my marriage. No matter how poor I am, I'd rather nibble on the crumbs by my own fireplace than marry her... I hope you can cross the chasm and continue to lend me a helping hand.
- In Paris -
Between 1886 and 1888, Van Gogh lived under the same roof as Theo. As a result, there was a gap in the record of their correspondence. In Paris, Van Gogh learned and saw many new styles of painting. For example, in the works of the Japanese ukiyo-e painter Hiroshige Utagawa, Van Gogh showed great interest. He also incorporated the techniques of Japanese painting into his own style.
Although during this period, the blankness of the van Gogh brothers' epistles became a regret to understand the details of the brothers' lives. But in the letters to others, we see Van Gogh's trust and gratitude to Theo:
Without Theo, I wouldn't have been able to evaluate my work impartially, but with him as a friend, I was sure I would make progress and everything would be on track. I plan to go south for a while as soon as possible, where the colors are richer and the sun is brighter.
In Paris, the Van Gogh brothers met Gauguin and held exhibitions, and Paris was an important moment in Van Gogh's life. But he was tired of Paris after all, and as he said, he wanted to move south as soon as possible.
- Arles -
Arles is a city in the southeast of France. The bright sunshine and rich colors there stimulated Van Gogh's creative inspiration. In his letter, he exchanged his thoughts with Theo:
Dear Theo... I'm painting a landscape of a wheat field. I think it's as good as the orchard painting with the white flowers and trees. It belongs to the same genre as the two Montmartre landscapes presented at the Independent Painters' Exhibition, but I think it is more vibrant and stylistic... Maybe maybe, I'm on the right path, and my eyes are adjusting to the rural scenery here.
But in Arles, Van Gogh's relationship with his best friend Gauguin was much worse than before. Van Gogh's spiritual problems are becoming increasingly prominent. It was during this period that his ear cutting incident occurred. And this also seems to indicate that Van Gogh will be engulfed in pain.
- Last Days -
Van Gogh's last days were nothing more than pain and loneliness. His health was deteriorating and his spirit was getting worse. At this time, the younger brother Theo received an unintelligible letter from Van Gogh:
Dear brother, I believe that the peace of your home is threatened by the storm, but I also believe that you can guard this peace... As for myself, I will devote all my energy to oil painting. I am striving to be as good as the painters I love and admire so much... When I came back, I found that today's painters are in a desperate situation... Goodbye, take care of your body... Good luck, both at work and in other ways. Shake your hand in your imagination.
On the evening of July 27, 1890, Van Gogh committed suicide with a gun. Theo arrived from Paris as soon as he learned of this, and at first he thought that Van Gogh's situation was not serious, but Van Gogh eventually fell into a coma and died in Theo's arms.
According to Theo, Van Gogh's last words before his death were:
the sadness will last forever
Grief endures
Note: This article is an excerpt from "Dear Theo – The Biography of Van Gogh"